What does 1X2 mean in betting and how does it settle?

What do 1, X and 2 mean in betting?

1X2 is the football bet on how a match ends: a home win, a draw or an away win. Sportingbet's help page files it under 3Way: "In 3Way bets, there are three possible outcomes and you have to pick the right one. The ordinary football bet – win, draw, or loss – is a classic 3Way-bet." [1] Its example labels the three outcomes 1, X, 2.

Sportingbet's double chance rules show what the letters stand for. Each option wins "If the result is either a home or draw" (1 or X), "If the result is either a draw or away" (X or 2) or "If the result is either a home or away" (1 or 2) [2]. Our reading: 1 is the home side, X is the draw and 2 is the away side.

Which side is 1 can depend on the venue. Sportingbet's football rules say: "For matches played at neutral venues, the team listed on the left are classed as the 'home' team." [2] SportyBet says "All bets will stand where games are played at a neutral venue, regardless of the displayed order of teams", but that if "the venue of a match is the reverse of that displayed, all bets on that match shall become void" [3].

Each bookmaker words the market in its own way.

• Sportingbet uses three names. Its help page says 3Way [1]. Its early payout rule is "Applicable to pre-match bets on the Match Result market for football games from selected competitions", and its half time/full time rule says "Bets are available on most matches where 1X2 prices are quoted." [2]
• SportyBet lists it as 1X2: "Which team will win the match. Overtime not included." [3] Its soccer rules do not spell out the letters. Its 1UP rule says "Betting on the draw in this market is the same as in regular 1X2" [3].
• Supabets has no rule we could find for an ordinary football match result. The one place its terms name the three outcomes is under "Electronic leagues:", which lists "12 min games." and "6 min halves." and then "3 way (home / draw / away)" [4].

How does a 1X2 bet settle? A worked example

Take an invented R100 bet on one of the three results, at invented decimal odds of 2.20 for a home win, 3.30 for a draw and 3.40 for an away win. A winning bet returns the stake multiplied by the odds, as the decimal odds guide explains. Each column below is a separate R100 bet, and each row is one way the match can end.

In each row one bet wins and the other two lose their stake. A win returns the stake plus a gain of R120.00, R230.00 or R240.00. Our reading: a 1X2 bet settles on the result, so a 1-0 home win and a 4-3 home win pay a home win bet alike. No bet is certain, and nothing here suggests a side is likely to win.

How is 1X2 different from double chance and draw no bet?

A 1X2 bet backs one of the three results and loses on the other two. Double chance covers two of the three results in one bet, so a draw can be a win. Draw no bet backs one side and returns the stake on a draw. The soccer betting markets guide sets 1X2 beside the other common markets.

Do extra time and penalties count in a 1X2 bet?

On Sportingbet's football rules, no: "Unless displayed otherwise (e.g. Match is 80 mins play, extra time, penalty shoot-out etc), all markets will be settled on regular play. This includes any added injury or stoppage time but does not include scheduled extra time or penalty shoot-outs, if played." [2] Its 3Way page says 3Way bets "usually refer to the result at the end of the regular playing time (exceptions are stated in the General Terms and Conditions or are announced as they occur)" [1].

Its general rules say: "Any extra time or penalty shoot-outs etc. will have no influence on the settlement of any bets. Any exceptions will either be announced as they occur or are part of the special rules of the specific sport." [5]

A short or odd-format match reads differently across its pages. The general rules say Sportingbet cannot guarantee normal playing time "(e.g. for football club friendlies)", and "Aberrant playing times will be communicated if the information is available. In any case, all bets will stand." [5]

The football rules say "if a match takes place but is not completed as per correct format (e.g. is not a 90-minute match split into 2 halves) then all bets on the match will be void" [2]. We cannot tell which applies to a given friendly.

SportyBet's soccer rules say: "Regular 90 Minutes: Markets are based on the result at the end of a scheduled 90 minutes play unless otherwise stated. This includes any added injury or stoppage time but does not include extra-time, time allocated for a penalty shootout or golden goal." They add: "Unless otherwise stated for specific bet typologies overtimes and penalty shootouts will not affect the outcome of the bet." [3]

The Supabets terms we read have no extra-time rule for the ordinary match result. A general line, whose scope is not stated, says "All bets made straight out at the line or start are not subject to extra time except where otherwise specified." [4] In the electronic leagues list, "Extra time and penalties do not qualify for 3 way (home / draw / away)." [4]

Our reading, on the Sportingbet and SportyBet wording: a match level after 90 minutes plus stoppage time is a draw for 1X2, even if one side then wins in extra time. We cannot say the same for Supabets. A market on who goes through is a different question, covered in the soccer betting markets guide.

What happens if the match is abandoned, suspended or postponed?

Sportingbet's football rules say: "Any scheduled match abandoned before the completion of regular play will be made void, with the exception of all bets the outcome of which has already been determined at the time of abandonment." It adds: "This rule will apply even if the governing body declare that the result of the shortened match will stand for competition purposes" [2]. The rules give no 1X2 example. Our reading: a 1X2 result is not decided until regular play ends, so an early abandonment voids the bet.

For a suspended match, the football rules void bets "if the match is not restarted on the same day (local time) and played to completion", but "Bets the outcome of which has already been determined at the time of suspension will stand." [2] Matches on a fixed date in tournament finals, but not their qualifiers, are an exception: they "will not be void if suspended and will stand for the new date they are played" [2].

For a postponed match, Sportingbet has two rules. Its general rules count the bet for a postponed event that is "restarted not later than 72 hours from the displayed start date", and void it if the event restarts later [5]. They except an event whose date was unknown when the bet was offered: "Bets on such an event are valid even if the estimated start date does not match the actual one." [5]

The football rules "will take precedence over the Sports betting general rules" [2]. They say: "For any cancelled or postponed match, any bets struck prior to the scheduled kick-off will be deemed void unless the match is delayed prior to the scheduled kick-off time and takes place on the same day (local time at venue)." [2] Tournament finals on a fixed date are again excepted, and "will not be void if postponed and will stand for the new date they are played" [2].

Supabets says: "For all sports unless clearly stated, events whose start time is postponed and then rescheduled to a time more than 24 hours after the original start time will automatically be deemed void for settling purposes, and all money will be credited accordingly." [4] If a match is called off in running and postponed, Supabets' decision on whether bets are voided or carried forward "shall be final" [4].

SportyBet's soccer rules say: "If a match is interrupted and continued within 48h after initial kickoff, all open bets will be settled with the final result. Otherwise all undecided bets are considered void." They add: "If a match is interrupted or postponed and is not continued within 48h after initial kick-off date betting will be void." [3]

Its general rules say: "If a match is not completed or not played (e.g. through disqualification, interruption, withdrawal, changes in draws, etc.) all undecided markets are considered void." The same page makes an exception for pre-match bets on friendly matches, which "will be settled based on the actual duration of the match". Only those "played for less than 45 minutes or more than 120 minutes are considered void" [3]. The SportyBet 1X2 description has no abandonment wording of its own.

Which window applies depends on the bookmaker, so check its own rule for the match you bet on.

Are there other versions of 1X2?

Both bookmakers sell versions that change the period or add a second condition. The table gives each description where a page has one.

Sportingbet voids both combined versions if the match is abandoned: "If a match is abandoned all bets on these markets will be made void." [2] SportyBet also lists a market on extra time alone. Its Overtime 1X2 reads "Predict the winner in the overtime." [3] Regular 1X2 leaves overtime out.

Sportingbet's Match Result 2UP rule is an early payout: "For single bets, if your team goes two or more goals ahead, at any point in the match, we will pay you out as a winner on match result market!" It adds "This does not apply to bets placed on the Draw selection in each game", and "This market applies to regular time only - any goals scored in Extra Time do not count towards the offer and bets will be settled at the end of the standard 90 minutes." [2]

It also says "If a match is abandoned and a team has gone two or more goals ahead then bets on that selection will still be paid as winners. Bets on the other team will be void" [2]. SportyBet lists 1UP, 2UP and Never Down. Of Never Down it says "If your team goes one or more goals behind at any point, the selection loses, even if they later come back to win." [3] Read each version's rule before you bet.

What happens to a 1X2 leg in a multi?

A 1X2 bet can be one leg of a multi (an accumulator), where the prices of the legs multiply. Sportingbet's help page says: "Please note that a multi (parlay) bet does not pay out anything unless all your picks turn out to be correct." [7] SportyBet's terms say: "In the event that any selection from a multiple bet is settled as LOST, the entire bet is lost." [8]

A postponed match can void a leg. Sportingbet's general rules cover a multi in which "one of the selected events is called off, abandoned or cancelled or does not take place for other reasons, and the respective betting events are not held within 72 hours". The bet counts as won at odds of 1.00, "the multi bet can still be won depending on the other results that are part of it." [5]

Our reading: for football, the same-day rule in the football rules governs instead, because those rules say they take precedence (see the postponed-match section above).

SportyBet says: "Should a customer include a non-runner or void selection in a multiple bet/parlay, the bet will be settled on the remaining selections." [8] Supabets says "the outcome of the multiple will be decided on the result of the remaining legs" [4]. The accumulator guide covers void legs in full.

Sportingbet's 2UP rule says that for multiples "the selection(s) will be marked as won within My Bets, with the bet left to run on the remaining selection(s)" [2].

Two selections from the same match are limited. SportyBet's terms say multiples "which combine different selections within the same event are only accepted where the specific combination is permitted as a Bet Builder or a specific market type, e.g. 1X2 and Over/Under 2.5 Goals" [8]. Our reading: a combined market is how SportyBet lets a result and a total from one match sit in one selection.

Whose rules does this guide use?

We read the published rules of three of the eight bookmakers we review, on 29 October 2026: Sportingbet's football, general, 3Way and multi bet help pages, SportyBet's help pages on sports rules, FAQ and terms and conditions, and Supabets' betting terms. SportyBet's sports rules sit in collapsed sections, so we read the full text of the page node by node, not only the text that shows.

We could not read the rules of Betway, Hollywoodbets or World Sports Betting. From our own network, our internet provider sent all three to a block page. From a second network, Betway's rules page loaded but did not show its rules text, and Hollywoodbets and World Sports Betting returned an access-denied response (HTTP 403).

On 29 October 2026, 10bet returned HTTP 403 with a page titled 'Just a moment...'. Easybet redirected us to a page titled 'easybet.co.za - Only Available in South Africa'. We worked around none of these.

Before you bet: limits and help

1. Read the bookmaker's own rule for what the result is settled on, whether extra time counts, and how long it waits for a postponed match.
2. Check which side the bookmaker treats as home, especially for a match at a neutral venue.
3. Check how the betslip treats a 1X2 leg before you put it in a multi, and read the rule for any early payout version.
4. Set your betting limits before you deposit, not after a loss.
5. If a bet is settled in a way you do not understand, ask support in writing and keep the reply.
6. If that does not settle it, check the bookmaker's licence and contact the provincial board that issued it. If the board has not been able to assist, the NGB says to escalate the complaint in writing to [email protected] [9].
7. If betting stops being a pastime, see responsible gambling and the helpline.

Sources

The numbers in the text point to these pages. Each was opened on the date shown.

1. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: What does 3Way mean?. Read 29 October 2026.
2. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: Sports Betting Special Rules, Football. Read 29 October 2026.
3. SportyBet South Africa, Help: How to play, Sports (Soccer rules and market descriptions). Read 29 October 2026.
4. Supabets, Betting Terms and Conditions. Read 29 October 2026.
5. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: Sports Betting General Remarks (the page is marked last updated 05/10/2017). Read 29 October 2026.
6. SportyBet South Africa, Help: How to play, FAQ. Read 29 October 2026.
7. Sportingbet South Africa, Help: What are multi bets?. Read 29 October 2026.
8. SportyBet South Africa, Help: About, Terms and Conditions (Settlements and Payouts; Related Contingency Betting). Read 29 October 2026.
9. National Gambling Board, Frequently Asked Questions. Read 29 October 2026.

About this guide

Published by Avenmark Media. A separate pass re-opened every source above and checked each claim against it, on 29 October 2026. A second, independent check compared a sample of the claims with the same sources. How we write and correct our pages.

Found a mistake? Email [email protected]. We correct the page, change its updated date and say what changed.